FBI investigation uncovered Chinese espionage cyber operation targeting US government officials and politicians
The FBI stated about Chinese cyber espionage against US government officials (Illustrative photo: freepik.com)
The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has uncovered attempts by the Chinese government to use a cyberespionage campaign to infiltrate US telecommunications networks. This broad and significant cyberattack campaign was aimed at stealing information from government officials and politicians, reports the Associated Press.
According to the FBI, the US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, and the National Security Agency, hackers linked to Beijing breached the networks of several telecommunications companies to obtain customer call records and access the private messages of a limited number of individuals.
US investigators did not disclose the identities of those targeted by the cybercriminals. However, the FBI stated that most of them were primarily involved in government or political activities.
The hackers also attempted to copy certain information that was subject to requests by US law enforcement agencies under court orders.
The FBI suspects that the hackers may have tried to compromise programs covered by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which grants US intelligence agencies broad powers to monitor communications of individuals suspected of being agents of a foreign power.
The Associated Press notes that this warning follows a series of high-profile cyberattacks that the US government has linked to China.
US intelligence agencies add that these were attempts to steal technological and government information, with a focus on critical infrastructure, such as the electric grid.
Chinese cyberattacks on Western countries
In May, the US State Department warned that China is capable of launching cyberattacks on critical infrastructure, with potential targets including oil and gas pipelines, as well as railway systems.
Before this, it was reported that Volt Typhoon, a hacker group supported by the Chinese government, carried out a cyberattack on the critical infrastructure of Guam, home to key US military facilities, including the Andersen Air Force Base.
According to Western media, the US government began an operation last year to counter a widespread Chinese hacking campaign that compromised thousands of internet-connected devices. US intelligence officials were particularly concerned about the Volt Typhoon hacker group.
In March 2023, it was revealed that the UK's Deputy Prime Minister, Oliver Dowden, told Parliament that China was behind a series of cyberattacks targeting British politicians.
Earlier, in December 2023, hackers linked to Russia and China breached the UK's most dangerous nuclear facility. In July of the previous year, Chinese hackers compromised the email account of the US ambassador in Beijing.
Additionally, on February 6, Dutch Defense Minister Kajsa Ollongren publicly attributed cyber espionage against the Netherlands to China in her report. In response, the Chinese embassy in the Netherlands denied Beijing's involvement in these actions.
